Wii U May Be Getting Smartphone Apps According to New Report

Nintendo is believed to be offering new conversion software to smartphone developers in the hopes the devs will bring their games to the Wii U.

Nintendo's struggles with the Wii U have been well documented to this point, but the company is fighting hard to recover from missing its projected sales of the new console during its first six months. While there is supposedly going to be a lot of support from Nintendo and its third-party partners throughout the rest of 2013, the Kyoto-based company is now believed to be seeking help from another avenue entirely.

According to a piece in the Japan Times (translated by Engadget), Nintendo is attempting to bolster the Wii U's game library by making conversion software available to smartphone app developers. Just what type of apps Nintendo is seeking isn't clear, but the console is built around touch and tablet play, so certainly some of these apps would translate rather well to the Wii U. However, the Wii U doesn't quite have the audience as Apple's iOS or Google's Android, so it may not be financially viable for devs to spend time porting their games over.

If this does pan out to be true, Nintendo will find itself face-to-face with a host of new consoles like the Ouya and GameStick. Whether or not smartphone apps will help right the ship remains to be seen, but at lease Nintendo is exploring every option it can.

What do you think of the rumor? Would you download games like Angry Birds or Temple Run to your Wii U?